8 Reasons Why the Digital Nomad Life is Not for Me

And Maybe Not for You Either

Photo by Peggy Anke on Unsplash

I’ve seen the Instagram photos.

You know the ones — sleek laptops perched on pristine beachside tables, a coconut drink with a little umbrella just within reach, and some effortlessly cool person with perfectly tousled hair captioning their post: “Work hard, travel harder.”

D*mn.

It all looks so glamorous. The freedom! The adventure! The ability to send emails from anywhere in the world!

And yet, after approximately 30 seconds of serious consideration, I realize: this lifestyle is absolutely not for me.

Maybe you’ve entertained the idea too, picturing yourself tapping away at a keyboard while gazing at the Eiffel Tower or taking Zoom calls from a Balinese rice terrace.

But I haven’t sold all my belongings and bought a plane ticket. Here’s why.

1. Wi-Fi Anxiety

It’s a thing!

As someone who panics when my home Wi-Fi drops for 30 seconds, I can’t imagine the sheer stress of relying on random cafes, co-working spaces, and hostel networks to keep me connected. Or some sort of buffed up mobile network.

You have an important client meeting in 10 minutes, but the only available connection is slower than a turtle on a treadmill. The meeting starts, your video freezes in an unflattering expression. Not for me.

Some of the world’s most beautiful destinations have the worst internet connections.

It’s a great thing for a vacation. For work, not so much.

2. I Like My Bed (and My Couch, and My Coffee Maker)

Digital nomads love to romanticize the idea of working from anywhere, but let’s be honest: not all ‘anywheres’ are created equal.

There’s a reason my productivity peaks in the comfort of my own home — because my chair doesn’t feel like it was designed for medieval torture, my bed doesn’t have questionable stains, and my coffee maker doesn’t require a five-minute conversation with a confused barista who doesn’t understand my need for an absurd amount of caffeine.

Not to mention, travel itself is exhausting. Constantly packing and unpacking, switching time zones, and adjusting to different climates?

I’d pack light. But still…

---

Want to make your phone unique?

Try the Dark Vision OS icon pack for iPhone*. It looks fantastic!

---

3. Visas, Paperwork, and the Joy of Bureaucracy

I am from Germany. Bureaucracy is in our blood.

Still, the romance of working from anywhere quickly fades with the realization that every country has different visa rules, tax laws, and regulations that can turn your dream lifestyle into an paperwork hell.

Maybe some digital nomads are out here pretending they’re just ‘visiting’ places while secretly working, hoping immigration officials don’t notice their MacBook and three external hard drives.

Meanwhile, I have a heart attack filling out a simple customs declaration form. The idea of navigating tax implications in multiple countries makes my brain short-circuit.

I struggle enough with my own country’s tax system — why would I willingly add multiple others into the mix?

4. The Reality of ‘Work From Anywhere’

I’ve worked outside of my perfectly curated home office setup before. Didn’t like it.

I love my stuff.

I never understood those people sitting in cafés, typing away at their laptops for hours.

First of all, other people may want to sit and eat there.

Also, my battery would die within a few hours, I probably forgot my charger or had no outlet, and I had to pretend I wasn’t eavesdropping on the awkward first date happening next to me.

Doesn’t sound like productivity to me. But kudos to those who can do it.

5. The Time Zone Trap

Many digital nomads work for companies based in different time zones, meaning their schedule is at the mercy of meetings at ungodly hours.

I worked for such a company quite a few years. But I was lucky to not have to zoom at night.

You may have to, though.

You’re in Thailand, living your best life, but your work buddy is in New York, and now you have a 2 AM Zoom meeting.

I enjoy being awake at 2 AM for important things — like binge-watching a series I swore I’d stop after one episode like every other sane person.

But being expected to sound intelligent and engaged at that hour? Or wearing something that’s not a pyjama or underwear.

Nope.

6. Making Friends Is… Complicated

It already is. Why make it more complicated?

On the surface, digital nomad life seems incredibly social — meeting new people in every country, networking with fellow remote workers, and experiencing new cultures.

In reality, though, forming meaningful relationships can be tough when your longest ‘stay’ in any given place is shorter than a Martin Scorsese movie.

I like friendships that don’t expire after two weeks. Usually.

7. The Instagram vs. Reality Effect

For every perfect ‘laptop on the beach’ photo you see, there’s a hidden reality: squinting at a screen under blinding sun glare, sand aggressively infiltrating your keyboard, and sweating profusely while trying to draft an email that doesn’t sound like it was written by someone in heat stroke.

And let’s be real: Most digital nomads are NOT rich. They ain’t living in a 5 bedroom villa in Rich City.

They’re sleeping in a 12-person hostel dorm room with questionable hygiene standards, in a camper van, or… you know, on the beach.

Last one sounds best here.

8. I Have a Family, and They’re Not Suitcases

Even it I could do all the aforementioned things (or enjoyed them), I have a few human beings to take care of.

You know what’s not fun? Trying to get work done in an airport while your 3-year old is screaming because they dropped their stuffed animal for the hundredth time.

Or attempting a Zoom call while my children turn the background into an impromptu WWE wrestling match.

Traveling solo might be an adventure, but herding multiple small humans through foreign lands? That’s just sounds like a logistical nightmare to me.

Vacation? Maybe. Work. Nope.

I admire families who somehow make it work, but for me, the comfort of a stable home life far outweighs the novelty of answering emails in a different timezone every month.

So, Now What?

I am not cool.

If the digital nomad lifestyle truly excites you, go for it! Live that adventure, drink the coconut water, and enjoy the freedom.

I enjoy my reliable Wi-Fi, comfortable beds, and not having to decipher foreign tax laws.

I’ll reserve those fun things for my family vacations…